Classifications

• • G—PHYSICS
  • G07—CHECKING-DEVICES
  • G07F—COIN-FREED OR LIKE APPARATUS
  • G07F7/00—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus
  • G07F7/06—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by returnable containers, i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles
  • G07F7/0609—Mechanisms actuated by objects other than coins to free or to actuate vending, hiring, coin or paper currency dispensing or refunding apparatus by returnable containers, i.e. reverse vending systems in which a user is rewarded for returning a container that serves as a token of value, e.g. bottles by fluid containers, e.g. bottles, cups, gas containers
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G37/00—Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes
  • B65G37/005—Combinations of mechanical conveyors of the same kind, or of different kinds, of interest apart from their application in particular machines or use in particular manufacturing processes comprising two or more co-operating conveying elements with parallel longitudinal axes
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
  • B65G47/24—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors orientating the articles
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
  • B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
  • B65G47/00—Article or material-handling devices associated with conveyors; Methods employing such devices
  • B65G47/22—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors
  • B65G47/24—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors orientating the articles
  • B65G47/248—Devices influencing the relative position or the attitude of articles during transit by conveyors orientating the articles by turning over or inverting them
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/60—Glass recycling
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02W—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO WASTEWATER TREATMENT OR WASTE MANAGEMENT
  • Y02W30/00—Technologies for solid waste management
  • Y02W30/50—Reuse, recycling or recovery technologies
  • Y02W30/62—Plastics recycling; Rubber recycling

Definitions

• the invention relates to a device for taking back containers e.g. of cans and bottles made of glass, plastic or metal as well as a unit for automatic take-back devices for containers, the containers being transported in a lying position with the aid of a conveying device to an identification device in which the characteristic data of the containers are recorded.
• a distinction should be made as to whether it is a disposable or a reusable container, since these are fed to different further treatment devices.
• a unit for container return machines which consists of two endless conveyor belts which are arranged in a V-shape, so that, for example, a bottle or a can can be transported on these conveyor belts in the direction of their longitudinal axis.
• Two rollers which can be driven by a rotary drive, are arranged below the conveyor belts.
• the conveyor belts can be swiveled so that the container falls on the rollers and is rotated by them.
• a detector attached above the conveyor unit recognizes an identification code such as a bar code on the container. After the barcode has been recognized, the conveyor belts are pivoted again, the container stored on the rollers being raised again and then being forwarded by the conveyor belts.
• a device is known from EP 1 167 247 B1, in which the conveyor belts for the translational movement are integrated in the rollers for the rotational movement of the container, so that the conveyor belts are also moved during the rotational movement of the rollers.
• the structure is complex and complicated.
• the mechanism for tilting the conveyor is mechanically complex and very susceptible to failure in continuous operation due to wear and tear.
• the other solution is also complex, since these conveyor belts rotate with the rotating deflection rollers during the rotational movement of the rollers and are therefore driven in a complicated manner.
• rollers are designed as hollow bodies and have at least one opening in the longitudinal direction.
• At least one conveyor device is arranged in each case with the rollers, the conveyor belt being arranged in the region of the opening.
• the rotating rollers and the conveying device are mounted separately, the circumferential surface of the rollers overlapping the conveyor belt of the conveying device when the rotating rollers rotate.
• the solution according to the invention has the advantage that a compact and structurally simple unit has been created by designing the rollers as hollow bodies and integrating a conveyor device into the cavity of the rotating rollers.
• the rollers for the rotation of the container and the conveyor device for the transversal transport of the container can be controlled independently of one another, so that the conveyor device is not moved when the rollers are rotated.
• the drive motor in the solution according to the invention can easily be attached outside the rotating rollers.
• the arrangement has the advantage that the po- sition of the conveyor belt is fixed and does not change during the rotational movement of the rollers.
• the container is transported by the conveyor belts in the transport position. If the rollers are rotated, the bottle is raised slightly by the lateral surfaces of the rollers and rotated by the rollers, so that a detector arranged above the rollers can detect an identification feature attached to the container. Overall, the unit is very easy to service and maintain, as the individual components are easily accessible.
• a method for handling containers in a lying position according to claim 13 and devices for handling containers in a lying position according to claims 15 and 17 are specified.
• a device in which a V-shaped conveyor transports liquid containers horizontally. Characteristic features of the container, such as the contour or an identification code, are detected with the aid of a detector unit. With the help of the V-shaped conveyor, entered containers can be returned to the upstream position or loading position. Above the conveyor, rotating rollers are arranged with movable pivot bearings, which can be moved laterally towards and away from one another while changing the distance. During the movement with reduction in distance, a container is lifted up and rotated by the conveyor so that an identification code can be read by the detector unit. If the rotating rollers are moved apart, they fall onto the V-shaped conveyor and can be transported from there in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the containers.
• This device requires a complex movement mechanism for lateral Chen movement of the rotating rollers and for this the space and movement space required, which negatively affects the size of the entire device and its stability.
• two conveyors with associated conveyor belts can assume two positions. In a first position, in which the conveyor belts form a V-shape, the container rests on the conveyor belts. From this position, the conveyors and the associated conveyor belts are moved apart, so that in the second position then taken up, space is made available for rotating rollers with stationary pivot bearings arranged below the conveyor belts. Due to its weight, the container falls down on these rotating rollers and is rotated by these in order to be able to read the identification code attached to the container with the aid of a code reader.
• the conveyors with the conveyor belts are then pivoted back into the first position, as a result of which the container is lifted up by the rotating rollers. It can then be conveyed further in the direction of its longitudinal axis.
• the lateral movement of the conveyor belts requires a complex movement mechanism and an associated large installation space.
• WO 02/12095 A1 and DE-A-201 12 651 further describe a device for handling liquid containers according to the respective preamble of claims 15 and 17.
• This device is to be constructed mechanically simple and the testing of cans or bottles with any or enable significantly different cross-section.
• Such container shapes can have characteristic features and contours that become recognizable only when the container is rotated from a certain detection angle of a detector unit. Therefore, the detector unit detects characteristic features of the container, such as the contour, the identification code or the like, during the rotation of the container.
• means are provided for the two conveyor belts from a first position, in which they support the container, to move laterally apart into a second position, so that in the space between the conveyor belts a pair of rotating rollers with stationary pivot bearings appears. The container falls onto these rotating rollers and then during the rotation of the container its characteristic features are detected with the aid of the detector unit.
• This device also requires a complex movement mechanism for the lateral movement of the conveyor belts and the associated installation space.
• the rotating rollers are designed as hollow bodies and have fixed pivot bearings.
• the rotating rollers can be mounted, for example, in rotary bearings which are rigidly connected to the housing of an automatic return device.
• the relative position of the axes of rotation of the rotating rollers to one another does not change during operation.
• the conveyor is arranged in a stationary manner within each rotary roller.
• the associated conveyor frame, which carries the conveyor belt, can for example be rigidly connected to the housing of the return machine.
• the conveyor belts of the two conveyors form a V-shape with each other.
• the conveyors do not change their relative position to one another, unlike the object according to WO 02/12095 A1, that is to say the V shape is maintained throughout the operation. Accordingly, an additional movement mechanism for pivoting the conveyor belts (as in WO 02/12095 A1) or an additional movement mechanism for pivoting the rotating rollers (as in WO 98/02853 A1) is not required. Therefore, the drive motor in the invention Solution can be easily installed outside of the rotating rollers.
• the arrangement has the advantage that the position of the conveyor belt is fixed and does not change during the rotational movement of the rollers. Apart from the drive motors for the rollers and the conveyor belts, no additional motors are required for the tilting or swiveling movements.
• Each rotary roller has in its outer surface in
• the measures described in claim 14 enable the identification process to be accelerated. It is not necessary to rotate the container if the identification code can already be detected in the first position.
• the measures according to claim 16 ensure that the detector unit can accurately detect the contour of the container.
• the detector unit e.g. a camera, no high demands are placed on the processing speed in this embodiment.
• FIG. 1 shows a schematic end view of a first embodiment of the unit according to the invention for an automatic take-back device for containers in the neutral position for the transport of the container;
• FIG. 2 an oblique view of the unit from FIG. 1;
• Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the unit of Fig. 1;
• FIG. 4 a side view of the unit from FIG. 1 with a
• Fig. 5 is a right oblique view of a second embodiment of the
• FIG. 6 shows a left oblique view of the unit from FIG. 5.
• a unit according to the invention for container return machines for the transport and rotation of containers such as bottles and cans is shown in a lying position. Such a unit is located in a machine for returning containers such as glass bottles, PET bottles and cans.
• the containers are placed on the transport unit through an entry opening in the housing of the machine, which is not shown here.
• the unit consists of two rollers 1 and 2, which are rotatable about axes 3 and 4.
• the rollers 1, 2 are hollow and each have an opening 6 in their lateral surface 5.
• a conveyor device 7, 8 is arranged in each of the rollers 1, 2.
• the funding Devices 7, 8 each have a conveyor belt 9 which is guided over deflection rollers 10.
• the conveyor device 7, 8 is arranged in the rollers 1, 2 such that the conveyor belt 9 is located somewhat below the lateral surface 5 of the rollers 5 in the region of the opening 6.
• a container 11 rests on the conveyor belts 9 of the conveyor devices 7, 8, which are arranged at an angle of approximately 120 degrees to one another and thus in a V-shape.
• the conveying devices 7, 8 are advantageously driven by a common electric motor 12 and a coupling 13.
• a container can be transported in its longitudinal direction via the conveying system 7, 8.
• the deflecting rollers 10 of the conveying devices 7, 8 are fastened to supports 14, which are firmly connected to a base frame arranged in the container return machine, so that the position of the conveying devices 7, 8 is fixed.
• the rotating rollers 1,2 srhd rotatably mounted in a _ on the lateral surface 5 acting storage rack 15 °.
• the rotating rollers 1, 2 are preferably mounted between two storage frames 15 in order to achieve increased stability in the mounting of the rollers 1, 2.
• the rollers 1, 2 are advantageously provided on one end face with a toothed ring 16 for driving the rollers 1, 2.
• the bearings of the rollers 1, 2 on the drive side can either also be carried out by the bearing frame 15 or else by a bearing on the ring gear axis 17.
• the rollers 1, 2 can be set in rotation by means of a gear wheel 18, which is in engagement with the two ring gears 16 of the rollers 1, 2.
• the gear 18 is in turn driven by a second motor 199.
• the drive motor 19 for driving the rollers 1, 2 can be attached outside the roller in a simple manner. If the rotating rollers 1, 2 are set in rotation, the outer surface 5 of the rollers 1, 2 moves over the conveyor belt 9 of the respective conveyor device 7, 8. A container 11 transported on the conveyor belts 9 of the conveying device 7, 8 is raised slightly by the outer surface 5 of the roller 1, 2 and is now supported on the outer surface 5 of the two rollers 1, 2.
• the container 11 is now set in rotation, so that a detector arranged above the rollers 1, 2, such as a scanner - not shown here - detects an identification feature, such as a barcode or other optical coding, attached to the container can, as soon as the feature comes into the detection range of the detector.
• a detector arranged above the rollers 1, 2, such as a scanner - not shown here - detects an identification feature, such as a barcode or other optical coding, attached to the container can, as soon as the feature comes into the detection range of the detector.
• the conveyor belts 9 of the conveyor devices 7, 8 advantageously stand still. However, it is also conceivable that the conveyor belts 9 are not stopped during the rotational movement of the rollers 1, 2.
• the rotating rollers 1, 2 and the conveyor devices 7, 8 are mounted independently of one another, the rotational movement of the rollers 1, 2 and the movement of the conveyor belts 9 of the conveyor devices 7, 8 can be carried out independently of one another. Since the conveying devices 7, 8 are only driven by one motor, a synchronization of the conveying movement of the conveying devices 7, 8 is ensured.
• the joint access of the gear 18 to the two ring gears 16 ensures that the relative position of the rollers 1, 2 with respect to the opening 6 can be controlled in parallel.
• the openings 6 of the rollers 1, 2 are again immediately above the conveyor belt 9, so that the container 11 sinks again onto the conveyor belts 9 of the conveyor devices 7, 8 after the rotary movement has stopped.
• the rollers 1, 2 may need to be rotated two or more times in order to be able to identify an identification feature on the container 11.
• the conveyor belts 9 are set in motion again and the container 1 is transported further. If the detector has determined that it is a container 11 for which a deposit is payable, the container 11 is guided to a location downstream of the transport device.
• the rollers 1, 2 are not made from a tube, but instead consist of individual strip-shaped segments 20 which are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the rollers 1, 2 and the lateral surface 5 form the rollers 1, 2.
• the segments 20 are essentially circularly curved, so that they form sections of the cylindrical lateral surface 5.
• the segments 20 are screwed onto ring-shaped support bodies 21 at both ends. This enables the rollers 1, 2 to be manufactured more easily in terms of production technology.
• it can be provided to provide the outer surface 5 of the rollers 1, 2 with a coating in order to influence the frictional connection between the rollers 1, 2 and the container 11 and to reduce the running noise of the bottle during the rotation.
• this embodiment provides for the deflection rollers 10 of the conveyor belts 9 to be driven by means of a coupled belt drive 22 and thereby to enable the conveyor belts 9 to move synchronously.
• the deflection rollers 10 of the conveyor device 7, 8 are provided with a groove 23 for the belts 24.
• the belts 24 engage around a deflection pulley 25 arranged on the motor 12 and are guided by two further deflection rollers 26.
• a shaft 27 connects the deflection pulley 25 to a deflection pulley 28 for driving the second conveyor device 7.
• a coupled belt drive 22 has the advantage over a coupling 13 that it is less susceptible to faults and is therefore more suitable for continuous operation.
• the wheels and belts of the belt drive 22 also lie in an area which is less susceptible to dirt than the intermediate area between the rollers 1, 2, since contamination from escaping liquid can occur here due to the bottles filled with residual liquid.

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• 2004
  • 2004-07-28 DE DE200450001461 patent/DE502004001461D1/de active Active
  • 2004-07-28 AT AT04017846T patent/ATE339746T1/de not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2004-07-28 DE DE200450000823 patent/DE502004000823D1/de active Active
  • 2004-07-28 EP EP20040017846 patent/EP1531433B1/de not_active Not-in-force
  • 2004-07-28 AT AT04022319T patent/ATE331262T1/de active
  • 2004-07-28 EP EP20040022319 patent/EP1536386B1/de active Active
  • 2004-07-28 DK DK04017846T patent/DK1531433T3/da active
  • 2004-07-28 ES ES04017846T patent/ES2271751T3/es active Active
  • 2004-09-20 JP JP2006538673A patent/JP2007510607A/ja not_active Withdrawn
  • 2004-09-20 WO PCT/EP2004/010541 patent/WO2005052870A1/de active Application Filing
  • 2004-09-20 US US10/579,116 patent/US7407056B2/en active Active
• 2006
  • 2006-06-13 NO NO20062748A patent/NO335233B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation

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